The California Fish and Game Commission is preparing to hear a petition on August 19, 2020 to list the Western Joshua Tree as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The petition was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity in October 2019 under the guise that the Western Joshua Tree, while not presently threatened, could become an endangered species in the foreseeable future without special protections afforded under CESA. However, the petition fails to provide sufficient evidence regarding population trends or abundance of the species, which is native to the Mojave Desert.
RCRC has filed comments twice asking the Commission to reject the petition due to its potential impacts on effected counties’ abilities to meet state housing development requirements and local government maintenance operations, most recently joining with a broad coalition of stakeholders including the California Building Industry Association, the California Farm Bureau Federation, and the California Forestry Association. If the petition is accepted by the Commission, the species will receive special protections under CESA that will restrict the ability to disturb a single Western Joshua Tree without permission from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The joint coalition letter urging the Commission to reject the position can be viewed here.